10th anniversary of European Development Days
The European Development Days bring together key players from across the world on 15 and 16 June in Brussels. It is Europe's leading forum on global development and cooperation.
The 10th edition of the European Development Days (EDD) is focused on implementing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, building on Partnership, Peace, Prosperity, Planet and People. The event brings together world leaders, young leaders and hundreds of speakers, civil society organisations and international organisations with a record number of over 6,000 development professionals from around 150 countries.
Often referred to as the "Davos for Development", the European Development Days come at a crucial time for the future of international development, shortly after the ''Agenda for Sustainable Development'', which is a universal framework to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030, was adopted in September 2015.
The EU i is the world's biggest donor of development assistance and has established itself as a bridge-builder between partners in the adoption and implementation process of the 2030 Agenda - the EDDs are a direct manifestation of that.
Ahead of the event, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker i, will meet the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn, to sign a joint declaration "Towards an EU-Ethiopia Strategic Engagement", which reflects the EU's strong relations with Ethiopia, emphasising Ethiopia's crucial role in Africa and the international community and its significant socio-economic development. The EU and Ethiopia will thereby elevate their 40 year partnership to an even more strategic level.
The European Commission delegation will consist of the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy / Vice-President Federica Mogherini i, Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, Jyrki Katainen i, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip i, Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström i, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica i, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete i, Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella i, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos i, and Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides i.